Method of making structural form ties



Jan. 10, 1956 R. c. GATES 2,730,141

METHOD OF MAKING STRUCTURAL FORM TIES Filed March 28, 1952 IN VEN TOR.

Pom/"f 66/0? Gazes BY flTTOENEY METHQD 19F MAKING STRUCTUfiAL FQRM TEES Rotten liyde Gates, Denver, (1010., assignor to Gates dc dons, 1nd, Denver, Colo., a corporation or {Idiot-ado Application March 28, 1952, Serial No. 279,137?

2 Claims. (Cl. 14tl--73) This invention relates to methods of making structural form ties and has reference more particulariy to a methd of making form ties of the construction shown and described in U. S. Patent 1,692,166 of November 20, 1928.

The described and claimed in the patent above identified has many desirable features but was not manufactored in large numbers until lately when a practical method of manufacture was invented.

it is the object of this invention to disclose and claim a practical method of manufacturing the tie described in the above identified patent.

in order to describe the method reference will be had to the accompanying drawing in which the products of the several steps have been illustrated in the order in which they are performed by the method.

Figure 1 is a view showing a length of a wire as it appears after it has been subjected to the first step of the method;

Figure 2 is a top plan view showing the appearance of the wire at the end of the second step;

Figure 3 is a side elevational View of the wire shown in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a top plan View of the completed form tie.

Referring now to the drawing reference numeral designates a wire that has been subjected to the first step of the method by which the ends are formed into hooks by first bending the wire at point 11 into an obtuse angle u; the wire is then bent reverse-1y at 12. The end 13 extends at right angles to the length of the wire. The original length of the wire is divided into three equal lengths or approximately so, and these points are marked in some suitable manner and have been designated by numeral 14 in Figure 2.

When the method is performed manually, the wire is reversely bent at points 14 into the shape shown in Figure 2. After this second step has been completed the ends 13 of the hooks extend at right angles to the plane of the bight 15 and are located between the sides of the bights as shown in Figure 2. The wire which is now in the form illustrated in Figures 2 and 3 is then grasped at the bights and the hooked ends are held in approximately the position shown in Figure 3 with the ends 13 extending equal distances on both sides of the planes of the bights. The two bights are now subjected to a relative rotary movement which twists that portion between the hooked ends into a cable as shown in Figure nited States Patent 6 4. Due to the fact that the material has some resiliency the twisting is carried through more than a number of complete turns so that when the torque is released the parts will turn in the opposite direction through an angular distance that brings ends 13 substantially into the same plane.

What makes it possible to make these ties by machine is that the ends are formed into hooks by the first step. After the ends are formed into books the machine, when one is used, holds the ends in parallel relation and makes it possible and practical to hold the hook ends perpendicuar to the planes of their associated loops during the twisting operation.

The discovery that the hooks must be made at the first step in the operation made it possible to construct a practical machine for the automatic manufacture of the ties and it is to this feature or step of the method that this n'zethod is directed.

Having described the invention what is claimed as new 1. The method or" making a structural form tie from a straight wire of a length approximately three times the length or" the finished tie which comprises the following steps performed in the order given; bending the ends of the wire into the forms of hooks whose ends extend across the line of the wire; folding the wire simultaneously about two points which divide the original length of the wire into three equal parts thus forming a bight at each end, the reversely bent portions that terminate in the hooks crossing each other, thereby positioning the hooks in the nights, the planes of the hooks being parallel and substantially perpendicular to the planes of the bights; and twisting all of that part between the hooks into a three strand cable.

2. That method of forming a concrete form tie from a straight piece of wire three times the length of the finished tie which comprises, bending the ends of the wires into hooks whose end portions are substantially co-planar and extend substantially equal distances on each side of the line of the wire, folding the ends of the wire simultaneously about two points equidistantly spaced from the hooks and spaced from each other a distance substantially equal to one third the length of the wire, the reversely folded portions terminating with the end of the hook on one end positioned in the bight at the other end, and twisting the three wires in the space between the hooks forming them into a cable.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 177,221 Dederick May 9, 1876 514,177 Welch Feb. 6, 1894 872,266 Vance Nov. 26, 1907 911,931 Armbruster Feb. 9, 1909 1,194,498 Henry Aug. 15, 1916 1,310,003 Cogozzo July 15, 1919 1,692,166 Gates Nov. 20, 1928 1,821,506 Foulder Sept. 1, 1931 1,929,929 Mouopoli Oct. 10, 1933 2,319,996 Kerby May 25, 1943 

